Despite Phoenix Podium, Allgaier Loses Ground In Chase

Justin Allgaier (Matthew Thacker/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

By Justin Glenn, SWN Staff Writer

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 18, 2026) – Justin Allgaier hasn’t had the Chase run many expected in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series postseason after entering as the top seed and points leader in September. 

Allgaier’s dominance – which featured a regular season he won by 229 points — has disappeared and his quest to a second championship is no longer clear. Since the Chase standings reset, where he entered 25 points above his competitors, he lost the lead and a deficit has built.   

Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway, despite a third-place finish and strong points day, the 2024 series titlist lost 20 points to standings leader Jesse Love, now 36 behind and second overall. 

“We need to be a little better. Winning races does a lot for the points,” said Allgaier. “There’s still a lot of racing left, still three wins out there to go get. We feel really confident in our car at the next races and we’re going to give it our all. It’s not over yet.”

Allgaier’s issue isn’t raw speed, as he has three Chase top fives. Instead, it’s that he hasn’t won a race in six Chaseattempts. His winless drought stretches back to July 11 at Georgia’s EchoPark Speedway. 

Saturday at Phoenix posed an opportunity for Allgaier to recapture his once lit candle. In his career, the one-mile track has treated him well, with three wins and 824 laps led. He won the spring race there on March 7, part of his career season-high six wins from March to July.  

Things didn’t get off to the greatest start after he was 13th quickest in a rain-affected practice. He was stuck in 13th in qualifying, and was forced to drive through the field. 

“We didn’t have practice like we wanted to do,” Allgaier said. “The conditions were different from what we had here in the past. We went back to the notebook and started digging, everyone did a good job. Pit stops were great, we had one slow stop, but these guys rallied. I’m just proud of the effort.”

Underwhelming prerace expectations did not affect the 15-year veteran. By stage one completion he finished third. Allgaier then took the lead from Jesse Love early in stage two.

He settled in second, but clean driving lifted him into contention. The minor hiccup would come with a slow left side tire change prior to the final stage. 

Once again, a minor setback didn’t affect Allgaier. He restarted sixth and remained a mainstay in the top five. 

But once he lost the lead to Love on lap 74, Allgaier’s racepwinning place fell off. He was then along for the ride stuck behind Love and Sam Mayer. Allgaier settled for third place, which was strong with 18 laps led, but not the win needed.  

“There were a lot of positives. Great day with 52 points,” said Allgaier. “We did all the right things. We made good adjustments all day.”

Still, Allgaier knows with three weeks left, the battle isn’t over. However, urgency is at a high to recapture the lead. He will look to do so at the unpredictable Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where dreams can be made and championship hopes just as easily get smashed.

He holds nine top 10s, but Allgaier hasn’t won on the 2.66-mile oval and finished 23rd on April 25.  

“We’re behind [in the points standings], so you got to just lay it all on the line. I think we’re capable. We’ve shown we’ve had cars that are capable of [wins],” Allgaier said. “All these guys are burning the midnight owl to make sure our racecars are where they need to be. As a driver that’s all you can ask for.” 

Coverage of The Progress Group 250 from Talladega is slated for Saturday, Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.